HomeMy WebLinkAbout12/30/98 B A K E R S F I E L D
CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE
MEMORANDUM
December 30, 1998
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY ~3~CIL
FROM: ALAN TANDY, CITY MANAGER '~/'// /
SUBJECT: GENERAL INFORMATION
1. ' Amusement Business, a weekly publication that focuses on the entertainment and
amusement industry, published a feature article on the Centennial Garden and
Convention Center in their December 28th year end issue. A copy is enclosed for
your information.
2. An updated wallet card of telephone listings is enclosed for your use. We will issue
a new one when the city attorney comes on board next month.
3. It is our belief that there will be no controversy over the Hillside Ordinance after all.
Rather than specifying slope limitations, all parties seem content with the use of Cai
Trans and AASHTO standards. They take all engineering aspects into account and
are broadly accepted.
AT:rs
cc: Department Heads
Pamela McCarthy, City Clerk
Trudy Slater, Administrative Analyst
BAKERSFIELD CENTENNIAL GARDEN
& CONVENTION CENTER
Bakersfield Boasts
Building Designed
To Put City On
Touring Map
BY CINDY STOOKSB0~',RY GUIER
II look I O0 )'ears, but fl~e city of Bakerslield linally has luming down 125 bookings a year." we expect additional redevelopment in about a six-
a full-size facility capable of hostingjttst about any tour- Tandy said plans for the arena came out of a city to nine-square-block area around the arena," he said.
lng production that's on Ihe road. The $36 million, council session in August 1996. Groundbrcaking took The convention cenler traditionally operated at an
10, l q0-seat muhiputtx~se Bakcrslicld Centennial Gar- place June 9, 1997. The building held a public open annual loss of $850,000. The city hired Ogden Enter-
den opened Oct. 1, in time to help celebrate the city's house Oct. 1, 1998, and presented its first event, a tainment to manage both venues. Ogden is also in
centennial year. Bill Cosby performance, the next evening, charge of Ihe food and beverage service and merchan-
The arena ,,,,,as actually only about 16 months in the Centennial Garden is an expansion of the Bakers- dising. Now, said Tandy, it is expected the $850,000
making, but it was long overdue for the market. Major field Convention Center, which itself grew out of the loss will be reduced considerably Officials are fairly op-
tours had traditionally byp;tssed the southern Califor- Bakersfield Civic Auditorium, built in 1962. The arena limistic the deficit might even be totally eradicated after
nia city because it lacked a venue la~ge enough to ac- and the convention center are direclly adjacent, al- a few years.
commodate the,n. The largest facility was the lowing them to serve as separate facilities as well as The arena was financed through $11 million cash
29,000-square-foot Bakersfield Convention Center, {unction as a complete entertainment and conven- and the remainder from a bond issue. About two-thirds
which had a 3,000-sea! auditorium. The convention tion complex. The new complex is expected to help of the debt is being retired I¥om the redevelopment
center's Iow, 25-[oot ceiling prevented family shows like promote growth and redevelopment in the downtown agency, and the other one-third from the city's gener-
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey or Disney on Ice area. al fund. The Centennial Foundation, a nonprofit group
from coming to town. If local residents wanted to at- The impact is already being felt, and the response in cha~ge of the fund-raising efforts, helped raise money
lend a major concert or event, Ihey had to travel north and enthusiasm [rom the community has been tremen- through the sale of "named" bricks that pave the elab--
lo Fresno or soulh lo Los Angeles -- alx~ut a Iwo-hour dous, said Tandy "We expect Io bring 600,000 people orate front plaza area and through corporate donations.
drive eilher ~'ay into the downtown who haven't been there before --
"We did not have the sea~ing capacity for large fam- people coming in for events. I've already heard from BIG-LEAGUE
ily shows and concetls," _'~id Cily Manager Alan Tandy restaurant owners that they've had rccord-scuing busi- At 10,140 s~ts, Centennial Garden is about half tile
"Also, Ihe convcnlion center was overbooked. We were ness on nights of some of our bigger attractions, and Continued On Next Page
~:~ .... [ S P O T'L I G H T I D~CEN, B,iR 28, 1998
B A K E R S F I E D C E N T E N N I A L G A R D E N & C O N V E N T O N C E N T E R
bakersfield boasts building...
Ci nltilll6tld VY~BII l'age ~ 1
intimate and customer service-od- Graud Rapids, Mich., anodmr Ros-
size vt the m~jor-mmkct areu~ ~ing creed, but with tl~e look and feel of smd ~sociat~ facility lhe bowl de-
huih Ioday, hul Jim Foss, excculive a Ihcilily twice ils size. The design- sign is based aronnd a regulation
di.'ctor. ~qid lhe btfiklmg is dcfinilely build ~eam was Rossetti Assuciates Nafimml Hockey ~gue fink (85 feet
a ma o~-Icaguc vcnoe. "h~ a go~cons and PCI. Cnnslruclion Scoll Nur- wide by 2~ feel hmg).
facility it really is,'; said Fuss. "Noth- toll, marketing director, said Ihe "Il is a great lacility 'l'hcy've m-
in~ was k'h onl' huildingg two-tier ~wl dmi~ Ls sim- corporatcd all the latest lechnolog~
'lhe hnikhng was designed to be ilar to that of the %u Andel Arena, here," ~id Norton.
~ d~ey approach ~e building, v~
0 itors will p~s through Ihe attractive
' Centennial Pla~ art~, xvhich [eatur~
two fonnmi~m. ~re~ planters a small From left: Ed Dorsey, director of booldngs and even/s; Scott
Co ng ratu 1 a ti oas..... stage for ooldoor per[ormanc~ aug 'al piec~ of nfl including hnnd- marI~e,h,g director; and Jim Foss, executivedi,edo,:
can'ed granite scnlptorm and an in- is located on II~e north end of the showers and baths, cable ace.s, and
grotmd engraving. The exterior of building, most have televisions There is also
to thc the buikling has a dramatic glass A separate entrance and npscale a backstage trnioin~workout room
front, ~viih a view of the plaza. "It~ a food scnqce are among &e ameni~m for the artists, crew members and
nice setm~g before you come into the for suile patrons. ". teams.
arena," said Foss. Becat~c lhc arena is attached to tile
Ioside, a borgundy anti teal color EASY IN, EASY OUT couvention centre, areoa users and
scheme, a terrazzo coucourse JJoor, Performers and production per- patrons have easy ace.s to ineeling
~ cuphnldcrs attached ~o tl~e uphol- sonnd should find fl~e building vc~ rooms and nthcr convcniion ccn~cr
stered seaLs, and other cmn[orB and comfortable and e~y to work, Foss [aciliti~.
BA~HSFIELD CENTENNIAL G~DEN ~ ...... iii ..... nhinc to prod ..... =t, ly said. The service level is designed %qfile ti ....... a do=o't have a tille
~C .._N1i0N~.._~_cFN~ .,.,,.,i.gr,,d.y.F, ..... ia. "l..'aINd w,tl ...... t~,.~,, mi,,d. .p ......... N,,,, ...... ia.,, .... ,
& oNVE ' h¥~ vcndor Ibc other night who was The Inading dnck area has three ship and advertising programs are
on fl~e telq)hone, tlc said, 'Bob yoo back-up doom and a 16foot-by-16- sdliog wall Pacific Ball is thc n~icial
golta come down he~e, you've golln loot drive-in door Ihat opens direct- tcleconlmunicalinlm sjx~tLsoi and nlso
look at this place.' h~ really some- ly lo the arena floor. Wide hallways sponsors Ibc guest services boott~.
S~( ;EI~(IIIT thing special" lead to thc team locker rooms, four Pepsi, oflicial suit drink brand al thc
~ ConccrLs, family shuts, cxhihiLs tournament rooms, two sl:u dr<)sing arena, is linc only other cxclnsivc
and thc buildingg twu tcnanLs ~ the roams, a press roonl and a muhi- sponsorship to dale.
Wrest Coast Hockey [_cagucg Bakms~ purpos~green room. Thc hockey Rmponsc from thc public and
[icld Condors and California State team has an exclusive, state-of-the- building users has been strong as
University Bakersfield mcng h~ket- art locker room that meeLs NHI. well, said Foss. who arrived in Bak-
ball -- will he equally at home in the standards, said Foss. Each tourna- erslicld in Ma~ch of this year. "C(ml-
facility lhc arena will scat 9,894 for mcnt room has a game clock that munity response has been very
an end-stage concert, 10,140 for a couuts down. Thc spacious star positive from thc first day I got here.
center stage show wifll in-the-round d~g rooms are ruby ca~et~ ~d People can't wait to come in and rake
Pcrfbrnlallcc
Stages seating, 6,500 in n half-honse setup, have light~ makeup mi~, pm~ate a look at thc building.' =
9,333 lot basketball, 8,641 for hock-
nnd 850 for banqueLs. There is ex-
g arricades hint space for g4 booths. EacJ ....
has an unobstrncled view nf the
ICC Covers 20,000-~i ...... foot, ..... ~.
The concourse [caturds plenty of
ADA Stairs andl~mps ~., ...... (30% .... [ .... I ....
rooms ~ ....... ~ r~tr ...... ), six p~r- BA~SFIELD CENTENNIAL GAHDEN
Mobile Convention Ccntc~ ........... ' ........ ,~, ..... ,,,,d~ .... ,~,~ & CO~ENTION CENTE~
portable [ood and drink locations,
Events
A]'M lnadlin~, a first-aid loonl alld DIMENSIONS OF ARENA FI.tX)R ............. 218 fEEl X 85 IEEI
1 800 438 4499 aguest .... 'i .... ,csk. ( ...................
- - - The facilily hm~ 989 club seals and 200 F~it x S5 H~.t (H,<<~iY COt~
24 lUXU~' 5nil~. Club seaLs al c sold DIMENSIONS OF ICl RINK flOOR ....... 200 FEEl X 85 FEE r ( I 7,000 ~QUARE FEE2)
--- -~-o./ oouR · 7_'gN& 7393 aspattoft} .......... tickctpackagc 1 .......................... · ........ g0,000
Fax: ''- .... ......... ,,
i'i'~
Iv thc sen~, parking for thc Condo~ 986 pRE-CASl PIECES
y~r b~sis. Suitm ranged in price rronl [ [)RIVE-}N Ut)OR ( ~ 6 X J {5)
approximately $20.000 to $35.000. x~ II ACCESS 10 ARIiNA It Ot~R
Norton said suite sales topped Sousvs~sH!~ ................................... JIll. CustOMS
$625.000. Luxu,v SUITES ................................... 24
"Originally thc city wasn't sure SliMING CM'ACIIIES
hoxv the salm were going to go. 1 lay- END-SlAGE CO,Ce,r ...................................... 9.804
ranch the mmkct bas suppnrlcd the Ilar. F-HOUSE SeariNg ..................................... 6.5O0
facility We sold the last suite about 0 333
two xveeks prior to opening." said Ilocg~v .............................................. : ........ 8.641
There arc 12 lower-level snil~ and Ct,cvs .......................................................... 8.64 l
I l second-level suites, each acconl- BaNqt,n~ ................................................... 850
modating 12 people. A txvo-lcvel Ex,mmv, ................................................. 94
part)' suite, which accommodat~ 24
Sacramento
San Diego
PHONE (8135) 85;7__,-'7~:]FI13
FAX (805) 86 I -99134
I OD I TRUXTUN AVENUE BAKEI~SFIELD DA 933O 1
I S P O T L I G H T 1
]99~
BAKERSFI ELD CENTENNIAL GARDEN & CONVENTION CENTER
Food & Beverage Offerings
To Be Served Up By Ogden
BAKERSFIELD CENTENNIAL GAI~DEN i~ l,,,,,,,,,, =,, ~,,k~,.,li~l,~ c,,,,~,,- ,h~ ~i~, o~ ,h~ ~,.,,,, og~,,, ,.~y ~,,,,,,. og~,,,,
Rial Garden doll't arrive htmgr)~ oiler spirils a~ up lo eigbl porla- fool-long deli board sandwich.
Ihey'rc bound Io experience an al- bles. "That went over real big," said
~ CONVENTION CENTER ,,,~k,,,,a ......... ,,,,.,,,d..,.~,,,~y c .... ,,, .... ,~,,u pr~, ,~.g~ ro,,~o.
find their seals. The aroma of f~om $2 fm a hot dog up lo S5 for I lot t-lilt'ecs stroh include a %xas
grilled Italian sausages nnd spicy au iudividual pizza. Prices in the barbecue plnHcr, a sob laco bar,
Mcxica~ dishes is sftrc to whet ViP Club Room are 25-50 cents Mexican enchilada bulfcl, lasagna.
more than a few appetites, while higher per item. fried chicken droners, grilled gar-
~l~e freshly made pizzas, open-fRee lic arid herb b~t'asl ol chickc,.
btugcrs and ice-cold blows will CI_UB SEATS ~ SUITES scared salmon and hol dogs.
hu'c others Io Ibc concession Mole upscalc fare is ot~cred for Ogdcu also lolls spcciahy dcsscll
CONGRATULATIONS ,,,,,,,,,. Clul ..... ,ho,der ......, su,lc fl,c club ,cai .... ,,uhc lml,o, ......
pallollS will have all cvci1 glealcr Waitcl/waitrcss scrvi.cc is prtwid- with stlch got~dics as t)l co cool<it
BAKERSFIELD variety of dclici ......hoi ..... lin ,',e cltd .....la ........l club cl ....... k ........... ia,nj ......
Ogden drew upon ils expertise seatholdms also have access to Ibc browuics aud Blad< F~rcsl cake.
CENTENNIAL ,,, Io,,d ..... I bcvcragc a, i,s o,,,cr VII' C,ub R ........11 ............er- All ,o~,d sc,,'icc iu tI ......itc is
facilitics when planning thc menus looks thc arena and has indoor and priced fo~ scrvisc tm six. Roberto
GARDEN a d ,per ti ..... ,thc Bakersfield balcony seating for 120. Ogden of- said prices .....ge f, om ab,,ut SIR
venue, which tood service Goner- fcrs club scntholders some ~d lhe for light tare to 579 for a complete
al Manager Bob RobcHo calls ~an same items found m lhe cortes- droner wi~h all ~hc Itimmings "For
upsealc facility in a small-town sion stands, but thc emphasis is on thc 579 ditmcr, you'~c looking at
Thank You For Using nlarkct." more upscalc items, about 513 per person But that's
~lC[{E~O~ "we gol heads mgcfl~c~ oI a h>~ Robcrlo said Ogden occasional- one of ~hc bcs~ dhmcrs wc have
o[our di[[crcut ptopc~tv managers I}' sets up cnrvh~g stations with thc house I{,~t dogs would be 53
~E~ CU~l~ kitchen manngcrsandchc[s, and carvcd ~oasl bee[, ham and turkey aperson"
FOl' Y()JIF we pul togcthcl a concession illClltl sandwiches, and salad b;us Club
that Tivals most local ballparks and Room guests can also munch on BACKS'I'AGE
~]aJJ' ]-]otlsc CtlFta}ll ~vs/clll fbcilities in the area," said Rober- appetizers such as spic}' chicken Ogdun handles some of the
to. wings and chilled shrimp, backstag< catctiug, but Robcno
]~Vgll s~lla]~ ill'Cllils call bCllCfil ~}'olll Thc arctta has six permanent Guests in lhe arena's 24 ~uxury hires a caterer ~or most large
COIICCSSiOII Slallds, which provide SIIilCS Call choose [tOlll nil exlcll- CVClllS "My laeility }Ir'lC h~s
thc high Itch space division that approximately 60 points o[ sale. sire menu, ranging from alHac- kiM~cn Ihal pi,salutes cw~ylhing
~ICI{[~O~ Call provide. Eight porlnble Iocalim~s, ot[crmg Iix'ely pr~enled snacM to complete for everybody, and so we're
items ranging [rom snacks and dinners. "We've got a great, great Iiemcly taxed '1 hal's why I ]lave
beverages lo mote subsmnlinl fa~e. menu for the suiles," said Rober- usually bring in outside people,"
NICILERSON ARENA CURTAINS are mos'cd throughout the facility to. "We ask them lo call their or- he said. Ogden docs oversee all
Contact Bob Keller - (516) 66&0200 ~ ,iccdcd. dc.s i .... ywhere from three It, backs~ag .....lc,lng, ht),,cv
The concession stand menus Eta- [ottr days in advance." "We've already Jmcrviewed aIId
Lure such choices as I/3-pound II Ihey're in n snnck foot] mood, been Io seca good handful o[calcr-
ground heel burgers, dccp-lried suite guests can order such items ers in town and know what their
balloted oniou rings, corn dogs, as jumbo size prelzels, large bowls capabilities a~c. I was lalking lo the
French tries. Immcmade single- ol popcorn, ltl-color Iortilla chips Rcba Mcl!nli~c and thc Brooks
serving pizzas, cold deli sand- with Ircsh guacamole or salsa, do- Dunn folks this morning, and I as-
wiches, and grilled Italian sausage in<sLit cheese platters, crudites and sutcd them I was confident m thc
._C ratulatlons .... ' ...... ...... '"*' .... I,artysuackn,ixesF~ ....... ' .... h. level o, cxpcr,isc ,1 .... I,C,,plc
O[.]. I'cppc,s. Ibc f;,cilily's o,,c t',,,,ccpl sIn,,IJal ;,ppelJles, ~hcrc a~c cold could
511 Rid--a-ers'"e'-...... l} ....... '] ....... hots d'oeuv ..... st,ch as Cali{o,ma 'Ibc ....... her u, Ogden's ', od and
lioll Ihal selves hcshly made came lurkcv mils Ilour loNillas wrapped bcvcragc stall ~augcs h,m~ 80 Io as
asada burTih)s, chicken }t rril~ s with turkey, lettuce, avocados and many as 215, dcl~euding
C tennial Garden! ' ......... lads, lrcshgtotmdl,cc, lacos grillcdl,el,pcts, andchillcdshrimp cvcnl, saidRohc,lo.
cinhies, meues, stulfcd mushrooms, pola- a smile Our missitm slalClllclll
Pcpsi-braudcd soh drinks ami a Io skins, hot clam dip wJl]l rtl-color we wapl Io grccl cvcrf guest wJl}l
vnlicly o[ beers ate available. Wine chips, quesadillas, salads (Cobb, a sincere. [I lentil}; warn smile aud
hi [OC;lliollS and al at lcasl lwo deli platters and chilled roasl tell- kssional service to every guest that
your
_: ooo & .Beverage
Portables
MoBile
Merchandising
Concepts
Fn,m h~]t:Jim Foss, Ed
508 / 839--9765 ~mdScotlNo,t
P to man¢ o for Bah r fi ld.
We take great pride in managing the Bakersfield
Centennial Garden and Convention Center.
While our performance is behind the scenes, '~,
the resuhs of our efforts are highly visible and
roi' everyone to enjoy. ~re'l'e booking a schedule
of events the Bakersfield public wants to see.
Since the grand opening weekend in October,
over 14o,ooo guests have enjoyed the 36 events
presented. We look forward to bringing the
people of Bakersfield our best performance
for many years to come. And events and
entertainment they'll never forget.
B-6 I S P O T L I G H T [ DEc~t~R 28, ~998
B A K E R S F I E L D C E N T E N N I A L GARDEN & CONVENTION C E N TE R
NeOerlander Exclusive Solidfying Bakersfield's
Promoter At Bakersfield Country Music Heritage
An exclusive promoter deal with Nederlander Concerts should ensure Bakersfield, Calif., will forever be
thc iww I~akcrsfick! Centennial Garden bccome~ a regular stop for top- linked to country music, thanks to
ilalll¢ COltecrt tours. Thc arrangement calls [or Nederlander to promote the Iowng intluence on the gem-e be- ~I I
all concerts at the new facility The promoter's first event is a Dec. 26 ginning in the 1950s. Artists like 5,
Kcmly G s',tm~: Buck Owens and Merle Haggard~ ~~ ~
Jim Foss. executive director of the arena, said a similar deal at anoth- came out of Bakersfield, and during~, ~
c~ Ogden-run remic. Cali[ornia's Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, inspired the 196Os and '70s they popularized ~ ~
Ogden otficials to work with Nederlander at the Bakersfield building, a raw, upbeat and twangy new ver-
"Thc rdalit, nsllip with thc Pond is ,,et-/strong, and we look to create sion o[country music, known as the BAKEItSFIELD CENTENNIAL GAHDEN
that same relationship here," said Foss. Bakersfield Sound. That sound is a
"(;ivcn Irc changes in Ire music industry with regards to promoters major influence on some of today~;
.... ,so lo,d,, wc just thought it would ben strong affiliation that would country muqic.=~' CONVENTION CENTEFI
work out best for us financialb, as well as get major acts to Bakersfield," Country artists have regularly
added Scott Norton, Centem~ial Garden's marketing director, played Bakersfield~ clubs, but until ~
This is tl~c second large-venue exclusive for Nederlander, which owns this fall, the city hadn*t had an arena general manager o[k,Nederlander youth soccer. It's a very hmily-ori-
thc iwatby Pantagcs Theater, Wilshire Theatre and [ lenry Fonda The- large enough lo feature top country ConcertsA,Vest Coast. the facility's ex- ented community It's a ,,'er)' positive
alit' ill I.o:4 .'\ugclcs and leases and bot~ks L.A.'s Greek Theatre. Thc faro- performers. Wilh thc October 1998:t elusive concert promoter, agrees. }leg conmmnily
il?run Ncdcrkmder O~ganization. founded in 1922, owns and/or operates opening of Ihe lO, 140-scat Bakers- planning to bring in a ',vide variety "The attendance levels at hockey
m,)rc Hint1 35 flteatcrs in thc U.S., Canada and England, and has offices field Centennial Garden, however, of shows to see what works best. He are increasing. People are finding it's
in New 'lblk. Cincimmli, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Tampa and Lon- the city can roll ou! thc ted carpet [or hopes to bring in as many as 12 to 14 a great place to bring a family and
dt,n. Thc company also l)roduces and presents shows, consults and books all of them. concerts a year, although Foss is ex- watch a hockey game."
thci~ own and nm~-Ncdcrlandcr venues. The venue's first concert ,,~'as a Noxt peering a more conservative 10 or so. An Oct. 4 LA Kings~/ancouvcr
Mike (;arcia, GM of Ncdcrlandcr Concerts/West Coast, is handling 15 performance by AlanJackson. In late October, the arena hosted Canucks prcscason hockey game
bot~kings for Ccmcnnial Garden. "The arrangement with the Pond began "I think it's a gont/a be a great con- the technical rehearsals for rock act drew 6,600 in attendance, and was
about live years ago, and it's been a really good Ihing for the both of us," cerl market," said Jim Foss, arena ex- Phish. Kenny G will play the a[ena the first NHL exhibition game held
Garcia said. I lc expects thc Bakersfield deal to work out equally well. It ecutive director. '1 think this town Dec. 26 and Em'ique lglesias is set [or in Bakersfield. Ire Condors played
will let Ogden avoid thc risk of bringing concerts to tox~m while allow- has never seen a concert venue like March 28. their first game at the arena Oct. 23.
lng thc venue to concentrate on other types of bookings, he said. "It.just this, nor have Ihey seen entertainers "Ihat did great. We almost had 5,000
winks ou~ great for both of us. It allows the building to continue to do like this. I think it's going to really A GROWING blARKEI people," said Foss.
what H~cy do best, and it alkiws us to do what we do best." blow them away when they get to see Garcia said Centennial Garden is CSUB's Roadrunners had an exhi-
Garcia said rite facility will lit in nicely on a route to or [rom the Greek some of the Reba McEntires of the an ideal routing slop [or shows trav- hilton game Oct. 12 and kicked off
'1 hcatt e or other Los Angeles-area venues. 'We ny to make a natural play world." McEntire, and co-headliners ding to or [rom Los Angeles, which their regular season Noxt 19. "Should
h om L A Io Orange Count): and mnv Bakersfield is kind of another link," Brooks & Dunn. were scheduled to is about a two-hour drive from Bak- Cai State Bakersfield make it to the
tlc sltid. } lc would like m do as lllally as 12-14 COllCCrts per year in Bak- play the venue Dec. I O. ersficld. Located in the southern end western regional we have a great shot
c~sfickl. Foss said he expects demand for of the SanJoaquin valley, the city is at hosting the Western Regional Di-
"1 flm~k a lot of shows will do welt," he said. fie has booked Latin artist country concerts to be strong ('Tve intersected by easffwest and vision 11 basketball tournament here
Em'iquc Iglcsias for Mater 28. never seen so many cowboy hats be- nortlgsouth highway comdors, mak- [March 4-61 ," said Foss. The build-
Gatria is impteSSC(I with the facility "lt~; absolutely beautiful It~ a new fore," he said), but he wants to bring lng it a natural stopover [or tours and lng had its first sellout No~ 20 -- a
place, ifs kind of got a new buzz, and ifs a nice place," he said, "The m as many styles of music as possi- a convenient destination for enter- non-televised WWF event that drew
buiklmg is rc=dly nice and the co~nmunity is ready for it. It's a great arrange- hie, including rock, classic rock and tainment-hungry patrons in the val- 10,200. WWF ',','ill return March 14,
mem. It's one of those true win-win situations." c~ heavy metal. "1 think there's a mar- ley~ smaller towns, with a telcvised event.
Let here [or it," he said. Mike Garcia, I[ the economic climate and pop- Centennial Garden's first family
ulation growth are any indici~tion, show booking was a No~: 4-8 Disney
the arm's future looks bright, and that on Ice engagement. The show drew
won't hurt bookings. Ibc metro pop- more than 40,000 in eight per[of
ulation ol- Bakersfield is approxi- mances. FID Champions On Ice will
mately 380,000, and the population open its winter tour at the facility Jan.
of Kern County, one of the state's 5 after a couple o{' days of rehearsal
fastest growing counties, adds more there.
than 200,000 lo the total. The court- Other upcoming family show
ty's population is expected to double bookings include the Harlem Glo-
to more than 1.2 million in the next betrotters, Feb. 24; a Professional Bull
20 years. Kern County ranks as the Riders event, Feb. 26-27; and "Grease
No. 1 oil-producing county in the aa- on Ice," Match 30-3 I. Sesame Street
rich, and is among the three largest is tentatively schcdtded for mid-April,
agriculture-producing counties. Bak- and Ringling Brothers and Barnum
ersfield has been rated No. l in hous- & Bailey is cxpc<ted to make its tirst
ing affordability in the Western U.S. Bakersfield appearance in mid-July
Foss said he is very pleased with
A FAMILY MARKET bookings to dale.
Foss is expecting to do about 15 lhc adjacent Bakerslield Conven-
events during the arena's first ,'.'ear. tion Center will be the location [or
While concerts are always sought- Broadway type shows. "We haven't
after bookings, Bakersfield Centen- had an opportunity to book some of
nial Garden will present lots o[sports them in the past because the dates
and family show events, were either blocked by a hockey date
The Bakersfield Condors o1' the or something else," said Foss. "With
Western Hockey League play 35 the hockey team moving from the
home games at the arena, and Calf old convention center to the new
[ornia State Unik, ersity Bakersfield arena, it's opened up a number of
men's basketball team will play l 7 weekend dates that we can fill."
home games there. Productions that have recently
"Right now I'm still getting a pulse played or are scheduled to play the
on il but I see this market as a very convention center include "The King
strong family show type market," said & I," "West Side Scot3;" "Fiddler on
Foss. "In this community on any the RooF' and "The Nutcracker."
given Friday night, everybody's out Foss said the Bakersfield Symphony
watching high school football. On will do six performances a year at the
Saturday mornings they're watching convention center, t2